Ask the Sports Nutritionist

It used to be that carbs were promoted as the best post-exercise thing to take in….but recently research has shown that combining protein with carbohydrates in the couple hours following exercise is best. I’m a big believer in this one. The reason is because this combination nearly doubles your insulin response which means more...Read more »

Read labels carefully as products are often made to deceive you. One such example is thinking that all brown grain products are whole grain products. Brown dyes and additives can give foods the appearance of whole grain. Check it out to make sure it’s actually whole grain….unless you like brown dye. They recommend to...Read more »

Dehydration can negatively impact your cycling or athletic performance. Over-hydrating can also do the same to your performance. No more than about 80ml (about 1/3 of a cup) of water or diluted sport drink should be chugged back over a 10-20 minute time period throughout your ride or race.Read more »

To minimize the risk of early bonking and chronic glycogen depletion as a possible cause of overtraining, it is important to maximize your body glycogen stores by using dietary carbohydrates to your advantage before, during, and after a ride: – eating a high carbohydrate diet in the days and hours before your ride -using...Read more »

My question is other than juice, can you suggest modifications in lieu of table sugar for energy and hydration.

Answer:

Both raw/organic honey or agave can work great in the homebrew (substitute in the same quantities for the sugar, or to taste), but you do have to shake well in order to make sure they don’t settle out. Have you tried either of these? Also, make sure to use at least the minimum amount of salt recommended in the homebrew as the temps rise, you need the sodium replacement if you’re sweating.